At least seven candidates from the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have died in the lead-up to the September 14th local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s most populous state. While authorities stress that no evidence of foul play has been found, the unusually high number of deaths—particularly within a single party—has raised eyebrows.
Germany’s government launched a major campaign Wednesday to expand voluntary military service as leaders warn that Russian aggression demands a stronger Bundeswehr. The push comes as Chancellor Friedrich Merz seeks to make Germany “the strongest conventional army in Europe” while avoiding an immediate return to compulsory conscription.
In August 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared, “Wir schaffen das” ("We can do it")—a phrase that would become the slogan of a migration policy shift that changed Europe. What followed was an unprecedented influx of asylum seekers, primarily from the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia, with Germany absorbing the brunt. A decade later, the social and demographic impacts of that decision continue to unfold across Europe.
A former civilian contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense has been indicted in Germany for allegedly offering to spy for the Chinese government. Identified only as Martin D., the American citizen was arrested in Frankfurt in early November 2024. German federal prosecutors announced the indictment on Monday, citing national security concerns.
Germany’s railway system suffered days of severe disruption after fires deliberately set along key infrastructure shut down operations across western Germany. A post-left anarchist group calling itself “Kommando Angry Birds” claimed responsibility, citing their desire to dismantle the modern industrial economy.
Calls to ban Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party — now the second-largest in the country — are escalating, sparking alarm from legal experts and historians who warn such a move could tear apart the nation’s democratic fabric. Despite receiving over ten million votes and securing official opposition status, the AfD continues to face aggressive attempts by the German left to remove it from public life.
Archaeologists from the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe (LWL) in western Germany, uncovered a Roman-era mystery at a site in Delbrück, including the remains of a Roman military belt buried in what experts believe may be the grave of a Germanic mercenary.
Germany’s Charité University of Medicine in Berlin has barred an Islamic student group, the Medislam Collective, from holding further events on campus. The decision follows accusations of gender-segregated seating during lectures and sex-specific student activities, which the university says violate its anti-discrimination policies.
The discovery of three unexploded WWII bombs in Cologne, Germany, forced the evacuation of over 20,000 residents on June 4, 2025, marking the city's largest such operation since the end of the war.
Germany’s demographics are shifting at a record pace, as new government data reveals that one in four people in Germany now have an “immigration history.” This figure, published by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), represents 21.2 million residents—an increase of 873,000 people in just one year. Among young adults aged 20-39, the number surges to one in three.
